Mini Marcos

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Jem Marsh and Frank Costin started their illustrious car building careers in the unlikely town of Dolgellau in North Wales. The commercial success of their fashionably named, if not styled, Marcos Xylon in 750 Motor Club races prompted the move to more centrally based facilities in Bradford-on-Avon.

At much the same time, a gent by the name of Dizzy Addicott produced a fascinating and extremely compact fibreglass Mini-based coupe called the DART. Suffering from a lack of production facilities, this cute and effective machine hit the buffers, the design rights being sold to a firm who renamed it the Mini Jem, producing it in very limited numbers until 1976.

In a completely separate development, Jem Marsh (the similarity of names being a complete coincidence) developed his own Marcos design out of the DART concept, the Mini Marcos. The two vehicles effectively competed against each other, the Marcos version being the more commercially successful of the two.

Its racing debut came in 1965 when it lapped the entire field bar one Ginetta at Castle Coombe, finishing the race over a minute ahead of the next car. More was to come, as a French entered Marcos came 15th overall (in last place but still a finish) in the 1966 Le Mans 24 hour race. A popular exhibit at the 1966 Earls Court Motorshow, sales were better than expected, production helping to finance the company until 1971 when an over-ambitious expansion into the US market led to financial ruin.

The Mini Marcos was a born survior, numerous businesses having taken over its production rights. By the 1980s it had morphed into the Midas, but following a disastrous fire at their factory the rights once again reverted to Jem Marsh’s stable. Following their eventual demise, the production rights now reside with Marcos Heritage Spares, who are not only able to supply spare panels, but complete shells to order.

The recent surge in popularity in these Mini-based machines has meant that the original lives on to this day. Its successful competition record in period making a post ’66 Mini Marcos eligible for a huge range of events, including the HRDC series and of course Classic Le Mans.

This 1967 example sits within the range of homologated chassis numbers for FIA papers (chassis 7100), although the vendor has never needed to apply for them. He informs us that in its current spec it should also be able to obtain HTP papers. Prepared by the vendor for club racing, it still holds the class record at Castle Coombe, although has not been raced in anger for several years.

Fitted with a race-prepped 1293cc A series engine, it has a big valve head, genuine Leyland full race cam, Weber 45mm carburettor and Long Centre Branch exhaust manifold. The engine sits on a straight-cut gearbox and cross-pin diff, driving through a 3.9:1 CWP. Twin radiators look after the cooling, the rest of the running gear being to full ‘S’ specification. The car sits on a nearly new set of CR65 racing rubber.

Only the third owner of the car, the vendor has owned it since 2008 having recovered it from a barn where it had sat unloved for many years. Registered with the DVLA as a proper Marcos, it is now ready for its next owner to lead the field, offering the potential to be a real front-runner once again in a wide variety of historic motorsport. A Mini Marcos must be about the most cost effective way to enter major International events, and on past history the new owner of this one won’t be struggling around at the back of the grid either!